"I wonder," said Hiram shrewdly to himself as he slouched off at the head of his fellows. "Th’ Maister hes a queerish look, I’m thinking—trouble i’ th’ forefront of his een, an’ behind it a rare gladsomeness. There’s a lass in ’t, mebbe—his face hes niver caught that fly-by-sky brightness sin’ he used to come fro’ coorting Mistress Ratcliffe i’ his owd wild days." Shameless Wayne looked up the road to see if his kinsfolk were in sight; then at the retreating backs of the farm-men. "Hiram! I want a word with thee," he called, following a sudden thought. "I’ll warrant. What did I say?" growled Hiram to himself, as he retraced his steps. "Lord, I wish th’ lad’s back hed niver stiffened, that I do; it’s wark an’ nowt but wark sin’ he took hod." "Canst keep a still tongue when ’tis needful?" said Wayne abruptly. "As weel as most, Maister." "The Mistress is taken by the Ratcliffes—taken while we were at the washing-pools." Hiram did not answer for awhile. "Oh, ay? Then we mun get her back again," he said at last, not showing a trace of his concern. "And _I_ have snatched the Lean Man’s grand-daughter in return." "Now I knaw!" murmured the other. "I said no less wod set that light i’ his een.—Well, Maister, an’ what are ye bahn to do wi’ th’ wench, now ye’ve getten her?" "I’m going to send her safe to her folk when they bring back Mistress Nell; and I want thee, Hiram, to get word taken somehow up to Wildwater. Thou know’st where to find one of their farm-hands, maybe, or——" "Ay, that I do; for we fell in wi’ one as we war coming dahn th’ loin a while back, an’ a rare laugh we hed at him. We sent a word ourselns by him to Wildwater, to axe when they’d like next to wesh sheep alongside th’ Wayne lads. Let’s see, now—he war wending Marshcotes way, an’ it’s owt to nowt ’at he’s i’ th’ Bull tavern this varry minute." "I’ll ride across, then, and see him; thank thee for the news, Hiram," said the Master briskly. "Leave that to me, Maister. Kind to kind, an’ th’ gentry is poor hands at trafficking wi’ sich as us. I’ll say more to yond chap i’ five minutes nor ye’d say i’ a twelvemonth—an’ he’ll tak a straight tale, too, if I knaw owt. What’s he to say, like?" "That we hold Mistress Janet. That if my sister is not here by midnight, we’ll pay coin for coin. That they can trust our honour better than we can trust theirs, and the moment Mistress Nell sets foot on the Marsh threshold, my prisoner shall go free likewise. Canst carry all that, Hiram?" "I’ll try—ay, I’ll try." "Then get thee gone, and make the message curt as if it were a sword-thrust." Hiram had scarce taken the field-track to Marshcotes, when again the clatter of hoofs came down Barguest Lane—hoof-beats, and the ring of many voices. Wayne could hear his Cousin Rolf’s voice loud above the rest, and he ran into hall for one last word with Janet before the coming of his folk denied him further speech of her.